Bahia Grande

[RGV Hunter]

It will be a learning experience for everyone.

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[DocHolliday]

cool to see this thread active, I didn’t draw this year, but excited for everyone!

[GaryJones]

nly? It is a pretty big area to tackle with a bike and with only 3 days to hunt it.

[ppeeks59]

nly? It is a pretty big area to tackle with a bike and with only 3 days to hunt it.

As has been said before, we will be allowed to drive the main road from the entrance on 48 to the turnaround about 9 miles in, close to 100. We are not allowed to drive off that road except to park alongside it. There does not seem to be enough distance in any direction from the road to warrant a using a bike, unless you are going to cycle around to the huntable northwest section that is not reachable at all by road and separated from the rest of the hunt area by off-limits land. That's about a 3 mile ride from the turnaround, I figure.

Also, we should all think about the fact that there is so little cover in this unit that every time you move around -- especially on the road which is elevated on a berm -- many other hunters and every nilgai in the unit is probably going to see you moving.

As has also been said, the best advice is probably "find a spot, do your best to hide, and hunt it." This unit is not at all like most of the main LANWR terrain. It is almost entirely barren or covered with low ground scrub, like the most open parts of Unit 5 along North Point Rd, or parts of Unit 3, in the main reserve. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. In those areas the nilgai have a clear unobstructed view of a half a mile or more, sometimes way more. Even Unit 5's Horse Island is practically lush with good cover in comparison to almost anywhere in Bahia Grande, as best as I can tell from studying Goggle Earth imagery.

Looking forward to the challenge coming up soon.

[csbonn]

.... the best advice is probably "find a spot, do your best to hide, and hunt it."

Yep, Agree 100% and hope that all other hunters figure this out early in the hunt.

[ppeeks59]

Made up my mind. Leaving the tripod stand at home -- it just seems too tall for this terrain. If I'm making a mistake, oh well. Bringing my low-profile hunting chair, a bunch of camo netting, and a bag of zip ties. I will try to find someplace where I can string up the netting to create a makeshift 3-sided ground blind that I can hide inside while staying as low to the ground as possible, and easily enter and exit while also staying as low as possible. The last time I used that technique for WT deer with one of my sons, two fawns entered the blind and sniffed our clothes and rifles before their moms decided that something wasn't quite right about the whole scene.

[merlin]

Nilgai are more wary than whitetails. I bet a ghost blind would work well

[ppeeks59]

Nilgai are more wary than whitetails. I bet a ghost blind would work well

Don't I know it! This will be my third bow hunt for nilgai at LANWR. I've only managed to get within arrow range of one of them once, but she was running. Of course that isn't counting the big cow that slowly ambled within 10 yards of me and my wife on scouting day, seemingly without a care in the world -- as if she knew we could not shoot that day.

[RGV Hunter]

Nilgai are more wary than whitetails. I bet a ghost blind would work well

I tried to get one but it will not arrive in time.

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[RGV Hunter]

I would suggest hunting in pairs. The Mogote pasture of the Kennedy is almost all dunes and sparse brush. When I hunted it, we would spot the herds from the top of a dune. One person would stay and communicate with the other(s) via radios. We would use the dunes as cover and just keep them between us and the nilgai even if that meant losing the spotter for a short time. With few exceptions, it worked very well.

Doing a drive sounds good if you are the only ones there. There will be hunters set up all over the place (50 to 100). If you spook game from other hunters you may have a lot of ****** off hunters. I use this tactic in West Texas to hunt sheep but there is no one else hunting there. It is just my team.

It is public land and you can hunt it however you want. Out of courtesy, I think you should avoid that. There may be situations where a drive is warranted. It just depends where other hunters are set up. That is my two cents on that.

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[J-Bob]

Good luck to the guys hunting this week!! I’m trying to book a room for my hunt in a couple weeks and it sounded like the in person orientation is not required since it is online. Can you let me know if that is the case for your hunt?

Can’t wait to hear how y’all do.

[ppeeks59]

Has anyone received the email package for this weekend's hunt?

[Graysonhogs]

Good luck to the guys hunting this week!! I’m trying to book a room for my hunt in a couple weeks and it sounded like the in person orientation is not required since it is online. Can you let me know if that is the case for your hunt?

Can’t wait to hear how y’all do.

Find a room yet?

[J-Bob]

Find a room yet?

Yeah just trying to firm up dates before I book.

[RGV Hunter]

Has anyone received the email package for this weekend's hunt?

Not yet.

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